York West Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti has unveiled a grocery list of "outrageous" promises he will put in place if Toronto voters elect him mayor in October.
At the official launch of his campaign at Montecassino Place near Sheppard Avenue and Dufferin Street Thursday. Feb. 25 night, he promised, among other things, a waterfront casino, a five per cent cut in residential property taxes in his first year, pink slips handed out to an unidentified number of city employees, cutting back city salaries and benefits to 2004 levels, no property taxes for seniors with a household income of $65,000 or less, an 11 p.m. curfew on children under the age of 14, turning Yonge Street between Queen Street and Gerard Street into a pedestrian mall, sidewalk plowing across the city and an annual allowance of $10,000 to families who care for elderly relatives in their homes.
Mammoliti did not provide specifics on some aspects of his platform.
For example, he said he would "give the Toronto police force the ability to do what needs to be done to take back our streets, without political interference" without specifying what new powers police would receive.
He said he would allow community groups to operate social, cultural or recreational services if they prove they can do a better job than the city but did not outline how that proof would be measured or what would happen if groups failed to meet standards or chose to end their participation.
Although Mammoliti said he would lobby Queen's Park and Ottawa for more funds and bankroll some city initiatives through public-private partnerships, he didn't provide financial estimates.
He earned his largest applause for promises that would give tax breaks and services to seniors, cut back on government waste and overspending and get tough on crime.
"We want better communities. We want better services and smarter spending. We want safe streets. And we want a city that serves our aging population -- the same population that fought for the rights and privileges that we now enjoy. Today, we have a city bureaucracy that spends nearly twice as much as it did when the megacity was formed with few new services to show for it," said Mammoliti, whose campaign motto is Rethink, Rebuild and Return.
"How many people need to be injured or die before other politicians and bureaucrats get the message? How many more kids with bright futures do we need to see in body bags before we realize that plastic grocery bags aren't the biggest problem in this city?"
He clearly revelled in his persona as an unconventional politician.
"In my 30 years of public service, I've been called 'bold' and even 'outrageous'," said the controversial Mammoliti, repeatedly saying he is actually a politician who "thinks outside the box."
"I've fought against bad ideas, policies and institutions where needed. I've worked with the system, without being absorbed by it, bringing necessary change to our city. Is that so outrageous? I think that's good leadership, it's what people should expect from their elected representatives."
Mammoliti entered the banquet room, jam-packed with 1,000 guests who paid $250 a plate, as the Black Eyed Peas's lyrics "I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night" blasted over the sound system.
One of the first things he did when he reached the stage after spending several minutes walking through a crush of supporters who hugged him, slapped him on the back and shook his hand was address rumours that he will drop out of the mayor's race to run for re-election in York West.
"I'm in this thing and I'm going to be mayor of Toronto," he said.
Meanwhile, Toronto Catholic District School Board Ward 3 Trustee, Sal Piccininni, who attended Mammoliti's mayoral launch, said he is considering running to replace Mammoliti as councillor.
"There's a possibility. More than 50 per cent," he said.
Piccininni, who said he will decide by the end of March, said he and Mammoliti haven't discussed whether Mammoliti would endorse his bid if he runs.
There are now seven council candidates registered -- Scott Aitchison, Nick Di Nizio, Abdirazak Elmi, Sergio Gizzo, Sharon Joseph, Victor Lucero and Larry Perlman.